A Landmark Win for Education Freedom

Education
Blog · June 30, 2020

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) released its opinion in the matter of Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue. Based on our tracking of this case over two years, Palmetto Promise felt confident of a straight up win on the merits, but oral arguments were not a walk in the park,

Independent schools scale first legal hurdle in athletics rules discrimination case

Education
Blog · June 24, 2020

On Monday, June 22, a Richland County judge ruled in favor of independent schools across the state who sued the South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) over new rules that would limit the athletic participation of public charter and private school students. Palmetto Promise has been supportive of these plaintiff families, providing coverage and analysis

For a full COVID-19 recovery, South Carolina must maintain and expand education choices

Education
Blog · June 15, 2020

Because of regular tracking by professional monitors of state spending, both in government and in the media, the impact of COVID-19 on public education budgets is coming into focus. It is now clear that even with federal support, states and school districts will be scrambling to meet current emergency needs while also preparing for anticipated

Learning from example: When should South Carolina’s schools re-open?

Education
Blog · May 21, 2020

As South Carolina deliberates over an array of options for how and when to get students physically back in school without further loss of academic progress, we have solid examples from other states and other countries on ways to open schools safely. South Carolina’s AccelerateEd task force has floated the possibility of opening schools as

LETTER: PPI Joins Groups Calling for COVID-19 Relief for Private Schools

Education
Blog · May 13, 2020

Palmetto Promise signed onto a letter to Capitol Hill calling on lawmakers to give COVID relief to private schools. Some of the requests in the letter include:  “Temporary education tax credit.” Families paying private school tuition for the 2019 and 2020 tax years should get a 50 percent tax credit on that tuition.  “Temporary charitable

COVID-19 Impact Survey: SC Independent Schools

Education
Blog · May 11, 2020

Palmetto Promise Institute surveyed South Carolina’s independent schools to learn how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected them and how they have responded. You can view detailed survey results by clicking here. Here are a few of the survey’s findings: Participation Rate A total of 220 schools received the survey. 157 schools from every corner of

Private schools in SC apply for small business loans as coronavirus threatens enrollment

Education
News · May 1, 2020

Palmetto Promise polled private schools on how their operations—instructional, financial, and otherwise—have been affected by COVID-19. We released the results, paired with projections about the range of potential impacts of declining private school enrollment and possible school closures on public school budgets in a first-of-its-kind SC-specific analysis.   This survey sparked a long-overdue public conversation

South Carolina Athletics League Declares War on Private and Charter School Kids

Education
Blog · April 27, 2020

The NFL draft kicked off last week. The most dedicated of sports fans had that date circled for some time. Commissioner Roger Goodell, safely in his New York condo this year, announced each American professional football team’s pick of the hundreds of college students seeking to play at the highest level of sports.  After each

Homeschooling and Ignorance: Harvard professor faces swift backlash after calling for homeschooling ban

Education
Blog · April 22, 2020

One thing you might not expect from Harvard Law School is ignorance. But that is exactly what we got in “The Risks of Homeschooling” published in the most recent Harvard magazine. All of the old 1980s (1970s?) home education tropes are trotted out: science-hating fundamentalism, lack of socialization, commonality of child abuse, and an unregulated curriculum.